Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Heroine” with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Arjun Rampal in the main lead has been aborted after six days shooting at the Mehboob Studios, Bandra and Lata Bungalow, Andheri, Mumbai.
A source says, “The film was budgeted at a modest 15 cr…and the signing amount paid to the principal cast and crew plus the six days shooting expense is a complete washout”. Besides this Heroine was launched with fanfare at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2011. Obviously the entire travel, lodging and PR expenses on this account are a loss too.
While the grapevine says that Madhur and UTV may still look at another heroine to be the heroine of this project, trade gurus aver that this is now a closed subject. A leading trade analyst says, Heroine is a jinxed project. First Kareena Kapoor opted out, now Ash has been forced to take a sabbatical on account of her pregnancy. Guess this film is not meant to be”.
In the meantime, Balaji Telefilms “The Dirty Pictures” that was supposed to be a direct competitor to UTV’s “Heroine” will in all likelihood fly solo. They have chosen 10 November 2011 as their release date.
